Laboratory of Radiobiology & Experimental Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 29;9(1):6594. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43040-w.
Ectoine is a natural protectant expressed by halophile bacteria to resist challenges of their natural environments, such as drought, heat or high salt concentrations. As a compatible solute, ectoine does not interfere with the cell's metabolism even at high molar concentrations. External application of ectoine results in surface hydration and membrane stabilization. It can reduce inflammation processes and was recently tested in a pilot study for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. Oral mucositis is especially frequent and severe in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), who receive radiotherapy or chemoradiation. It is extremely painful, can limit nutritional intake and may necessitate treatment interruptions, which can critically compromise outcome. As it was recently reported that in vitro ectoine has the ability to protect DNA against ionizing irradiation, it was the aim of this study to test whether ectoine may protect HNSCC cells from radiotherapy. Using HNSCC cell lines and primary human fibroblasts, we can show that in living cells ectoine does not impair DNA damage induction and cytotoxicity through ionizing radiation. We therefore conclude that testing the ectopic application of ectoine for its ability to alleviate early radiotherapy/chemoradiation-induced side effects is safe and feasible.
章鱼胺是嗜盐菌表达的一种天然保护剂，可抵御其自然环境的各种挑战，如干旱、高温或高盐浓度。作为一种相容性溶质，即使在高摩尔浓度下，章鱼胺也不会干扰细胞代谢。外源性应用章鱼胺可导致表面水合和膜稳定。它可以减少炎症过程，最近在一项预防和治疗化疗诱导的口腔黏膜炎的试点研究中进行了测试。头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）患者在接受放疗或放化疗时，口腔黏膜炎尤为常见且严重。其非常疼痛，会限制营养摄入，并可能需要中断治疗，这可能会严重影响治疗效果。最近有报道称，体外章鱼胺具有保护 DNA 免受电离辐射的能力，因此本研究旨在测试章鱼胺是否可以保护 HNSCC 细胞免受放疗的影响。我们使用 HNSCC 细胞系和原代人成纤维细胞证明，在活细胞中，章鱼胺不会通过电离辐射损害 DNA 损伤诱导和细胞毒性。因此，我们得出结论，测试外源性应用章鱼胺缓解早期放疗/放化疗诱导的副作用的能力是安全可行的。
